Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and Eating Well
Snacking "Cents"
Amanda Stevens, Dietetic Intern, University of Missouri
Candance Gabel, MS, RD, LD, Associate State Nutrition Specialist, University of Missouri
Today many people are eating more snacks and fewer meals.
Snacks have replaced one or more meals for the growing
number of "short-on-time" consumers who graze throughout the
day. Snacking, however, is not the problem; it's the type of
snacks. The snacks that we choose most often are those of
"empty" calories and are higher priced. Snacking can be a
habit that nourishes and sustains you or a source of excess
calories and fat. Trying to "eat healthy" when on a budget
can seem to be a challenge for most people. Here are some
ideas to help cut food costs.
Shopping tips:
- Make out a grocery list. You can plan your snacks and make sure you keep those cheaper and healthier items on hand. Sticking to your list will help prevent impulse buying.
- Avoid shopping on an empty stomach. Hungry shoppers buy more than they need.
- Prevent spoilage and food waste by buying quantities that you can readily use or easily store.
- To save money, purchase store brand or generic products. They are typically less expensive than the brand name products.
- Beware of sale gimmicks. End-of-isle displays are not always specials.
- See the whole shelf. The best values are usually above or below eye level. High-ticket items are often at eye level. These items are usually less healthy items and are packaged in larger quantities.
- Compare prices by the unit to get the best bargain and look at nutrition labels for serving sizes and ingredients. You want a healthy deal.
- Avoid buying at convenience stores. You'll pay for the extra convenience. An apple at the grocery store may cost around 30 cents compared to 75 cents at the convenience store!
- Use coupons only for products that you purchase regularly to prevent buying extras that you don't really need.
Home Ideas:
- Plan your snacks. By having a healthy snack with you when you go places, it will save you money as you will not be tempted to buy over-priced snacks from vending machines and convenience stores.
- If you forget to plan a snack, look for higher nutritional items in the vending machine or at the convenience store. There are some cheaper, and healthy items available.
- Eat breakfast at home or bring food with you on the run. The cost of purchasing a muffin and a coffee every day can add up to $50 per month!
- Fill plastic drink containers with juice from home instead of buying individual juice boxes.
- Pack raw veggies or fruit, dried fruit, yogurt, a muffin, dry cereal, bagels, cheese, crackers, hard cooked eggs, rice cakes, leftovers or a sandwich.
- Milk costs less and offers more nutritional value than soft drinks. Try flavoring your milk with fruits or juices for a "new" drink.
Vegetables & Fruit:
- Fruits are an inexpensive, nutritional choice all year. Try a new exotic fruit every week or "spice" up traditional fruits by adding cinnamon, allspice, or honey.
- Buy fresh produce in amounts that you can use before they go bad. If you don't need 10 but it's cheaper to buy 10, think of the savings after waste. You're not really saving.
- Vegetables are a cheap and easy item to carry with you for a quick bite. Many vegetables now come in convenient packaging for eating on the go.
- Pre-cut your own veggies. Keep them sealed in a container or zipper bag to prevent them from drying out.
- Not all juices are created equally. When choosing a juice make sure that it is a juice, not a drink. Drinks contain a lot of sugar and little nutrition.
Last update: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
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